BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Xiao Yan emerged from the cave after stowing away all his belongings. It was high noon, and the scorching sunlight beat down, baking the cliff walls until they were searing hot.

He approached a spot beneath the cliff face and gazed up at the blazing sun in the sky. After flexing his ankles slightly, he forcefully stomped his foot on the ground.

With a crisp sound of energy exploding, Xiao Yan's body shot upward like a cannonball. A series of thunderous booms echoed as he continued to propel himself up the sheer cliff face.

This was the Intermediate agility-type Dou Technique Yun Yun had left behind—Exploding Steps. It worked by concentrating fire-attribute Dou Qi into a single point beneath the feet, utilizing the explosive force to generate a sudden burst of extreme speed.

'It's actually somewhat similar to the Octane Blast.'

He flipped and landed, twisting his ankles a bit. Like the Octane Blast, in order to start cultivating the Exploding Steps, one needed to possess a strong body first. Otherwise, the explosive force would break one's feet before propelling the body forward.

For him, whose physical strength had already surpassed his cultivation level, practicing the Exploding Steps was twice as effective with half the effort.

Xiao Yan settled into a daily routine: in the mornings, he dedicated himself to practicing alchemy until his Spiritual Strength was exhausted, then switched to training Dou Techniques. At night he focused on cultivating the Flame Mantra and the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique. This cycle repeated day after day.

He continued training until dusk when he happened to encounter Little Fairy Doctor returning with a basket of medicinal herbs she had gathered.

In the glow of the setting sun, she stood silhouetted against the twilight, her lonely figure evoking a sense of pity.

Upon noticing Xiao Yan, she smiled sweetly while holding her basket and said, "Are you going to eat dinner? Xiao Lan just caught a mountain goat."

"Of course. I may know how to refine pills, but don't count on me to cook a meal..."

…

Sitting on a nearby rock, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile slightly as he watched Little Fairy Doctor humming a tune through her delicate nose while busying herself.

Over the past ten days or so, she had gradually come to terms with the events in Qingshan Town.

Chop, chop. Xiao Yan picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began to devour his food like a ravenous wolf. After each day's grueling training session, he had to consume a substantial amount of food to restore his energy.

Chirp, chirp! Xiao Lan watched Xiao Yan wolfing down his meal and quickly grabbed a piece of grilled meat for itself, as if saying, 'Don't eat my share too!'

A smile of contentment gradually appeared at the corner of Little Fairy Doctor's mouth as she observed Xiao Yan's voracious appetite. Xiao Yan didn't mind in the slightest that she was a Poison Master who possessed the Woeful Poison Body. This undoubtedly left a special impression on her heart.

Moreover, whenever he needed to refine detoxification pills, he would occasionally ask her to poison him so he could practice his antidote-making skills.

Detoxification pills were one of the most unique types of medicinal pills. They tested an alchemist's ability to adapt on the fly and their extensive knowledge, as they required the creation of medicine tailored to neutralize the specific poison involved.

"Oh, right, I should leave here in about ten days or so and head to Desert City. What about you?" Xiao Yan set down his bowl and chopsticks and suddenly asked after a long pause.

Little Fairy Doctor, who was clearing up the dishes, paused for a moment, then replied casually, "Oh, as for me, I'm thinking about going to the Chu Yun Empire to take a look. I've heard that Poison Masters aren't as stigmatized there."

"The Chu Yun Empire, huh? Well, when I travel the world one day, I'll be sure to visit the Chu Yun Empire and find you," Xiao Yan said offhandedly as he lay on the ground, gazing up at the starry sky.

"Hehe, just don't come to despise me when the time comes, or I'll be very sad."

"How could I ever?"

Xiao Yan stared blankly at the retreating figure of Little Fairy Doctor as she walked into the small thatched hut. He shook his head helplessly. Then he slowly stood up and headed toward the cave to begin cultivating the Flame Mantra and Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique.

…

Early the next morning, just as Xiao Yan got up, he passed by Little Fairy Doctor's thatched hut and noticed the door was tightly shut.

"Sigh." He seemed to have anticipated this and gently knocked on the door. As expected, there was no response from inside.

Xiao Yan controlled the Nihility Devouring Flame to melt the lock and push the door open. Immediately, a pungent poisonous mist poured out of the room.

Meow! 

Mao Wu instantly appeared, its mouth opening wide to form a black hole that swallowed up all the poisonous mist.

'This poison is truly fierce. If it weren't for the Nihility Devouring Flame, I wouldn't dare come near. This poison could probably kill even a Dou Grandmaster.'

On the bed, Little Fairy Doctor lay with her eyes tightly closed. Her once rosy cheeks were now tinged with an eerie seven-colored hue, almost as if she wasn't breathing.

Xiao Yan didn't panic. He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the remnants of the poisonous powder from the corners of her mouth, his movements tender and careful.

Little Fairy Doctor had been unable to resist.

The Woeful Poison Body could only grow stronger by consuming poison. For her, poison was like food; she had to consume it whenever hunger struck.

Resisting the urge to take poison was akin to a starving person trying to ignore their hunger pangs despite being ravenous. It was a terrible feeling that could drive anyone to the brink of madness.

Moreover, with medicinal herbs growing in abundance throughout the valley, it was all too easy for Little Fairy Doctor to concoct poison, making it even more challenging for her to restrain herself.

In fact, Xiao Yan had noticed the signs the night before. Little Fairy Doctor's cultivation had reached the 9-star Dou Practitioner stage, improving by four stars in just half a month. It was a rate of progress that left even him astounded.

'A Dou Master already...' Xiao Yan sensed with his Spiritual Strength that Little Fairy Doctor had broken through to the Dou Master realm, and the seven-colored markings on her face gradually faded away.

Little Fairy Doctor, who had been lying on the bed with her eyes tightly shut, finally opened them slowly. As she turned her head, she saw Xiao Yan sitting quietly on a chair not far away.

Her delicate hand moved slightly, brushing the corner of her mouth as a hint of bitterness gradually surfaced.

Moments later, that bitterness intensified. She bit her lip tightly, suddenly pulled the blanket over her face, and soft, intermittent sobs emanated from beneath the covers.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Yan. I... I couldn't control myself. I truly deserve to die."

Sitting in the chair, Xiao Yan's mood grew heavy as he listened to the faint, gentle sobs. After pondering for a long while, it seemed as though he had made some kind of decision.

He slowly stood up, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently patted her body wrapped in the blanket.

"I have a way to help you control the Woeful Poison Body."

Little Fairy Doctor lifted the blanket and wiped away a teardrop from the corner of her eye. With a hint of anticipation in her voice, she asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

Xiao Yan nodded and took out a dark gray scroll from his storage ring. Little Fairy Doctor opened the scroll.

"The Poison Pill Method? It requires an alchemist of the 7th-tier or above to channel their Spiritual Strength into the body, gather all the accumulated poison of the Woeful Poison Body, and finally condense all of it into a Poison Pill within the body. Only when the Poison Pill is formed will the Woeful Poison Body truly become a formidable physique."

However, her eyes dimmed when she saw the required materials. She shook her head in self-mockery and said, "The Monster Core of a Rank 7 Sky Poison Dragon Scorpion Beast, the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva, and three kinds of Heavenly Flames. A Rank 7 magical beast is equivalent to a Dou Ancestor, and the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva is something I've never even heard of."

"Not to mention the three kinds of Heavenly Flames. Heavenly Flames are such rare heavenly treasures in the world that finding just one would be an unparalleled opportunity, let alone three. It's impossible..."

Just as Little Fairy Doctor was consumed by utter despair, a sudden whoosh of flames erupted, and a deep white light illuminated the room.

She sensed the appearance of the firelight and slowly raised her head to gaze at the pale white flame floating in the air.

The flame was breathtakingly beautiful in her eyes. Its cold yet scorching sensation aroused curiosity, and its vast whiteness resembled a snowy landscape.

"Mountains are high, yet there are paths for travelers; waters are deep, yet there are boats to cross."

"Difficulties may always exist, but solutions will always emerge. See, haven't we already gathered one kind of Heavenly Flame? And it just so happens that we have an alchemist right here."

Xiao Yan's brilliant smile and the warm firelight gradually cleared the haze in Little Fairy Doctor's heart and shone a light into the depths of her soul.

The events that had transpired over the past few months had long driven this orphaned girl to the brink of collapse. Only she understood the agony brought on by the Woeful Poison Body.

Like grasping at a beacon of light in the darkness, Little Fairy Doctor clung tightly to Xiao Yan's clothes as her tears soaked the fabric.

A snow-white butterfly fluttered its wings and landed on the table from outside the window. Xiao Yan could never have foreseen that by revealing the Poison Pill Method to Little Fairy Doctor ahead of time, he had once again caused a severe deviation in the world's timeline.